Flight bookings surged by up
to 15 times after Beijing relaxed quarantine rules, raising hope
that a release of pent-up demand ahead of a major holiday will
breathe life into China's battered tourism industry.
The Chinese capital had until Wednesday lived under some of
the strictest novel coronavirus preventive measures in the
country, including a mandatory 14-day quarantine for anyone
arriving. That requirement was scrapped from Thursday for travellers
from low-risk areas of China, just ahead of a five-day May Day
holiday, which begins on May 1.
"It finally happened. I quickly bought a couple of air
tickets for Chengdu leaving in two days," said Zheng Lijun, 27,
a Beijing office worker.
"I've always wanted to see the pandas."
Chengdu is capital of the southwestern province of Sichuan,
where China's pandas live.
The Labour Day holiday is China's first extended break since
the easing of coronavirus lockdowns, offering a glimpse of what
travel may look like after the epidemic. The number of daily
flights in China is at 42% of pre-epidemic levels.
Data from online reservation service Qunar.com showed air
bookings out of Beijing jumped by 15 times in the first half
hour after news of the end of restrictions on Wednesday.
Searches on various travel sights including for hotels
quadrupled, it said.
Fliggy, the travel booking platform of the Alibaba Group
, said it saw orders for air tickets, in and out of
Beijing, jump more than 500% in the hour after the announcement.
Prices also rose. Zheng paid 480 yuan (R1229) for her ticket
on Wednesday. But Thursday, it had more than doubled to 1,090
yuan (R2791)
Travel booking site Trip.com said a large proportion of the
72 million yuan worth of coupons it sold at a livestreaming
event on Wednesday was purchased by Beijing-based consumers.
Many tour groups and airlines have rolled out generous
offers to spur demand.
Some tourist sites are now requiring advanced booking to
limit crowds. Some have been told to limit guests to 30% of
capacity amid lingering coronavirus worries.
The Ministry of Transport said it expected 117 million
people to travel by road, rail or air during the holiday, or
23.36 million per day, about one third the daily volume last
year.
Zhou Weihong, deputy general manager of Shanghai-based
travel agency Spring Tour, said travel agencies were still not
allowed to organise trips across provincial borders.
"But at least we have hope now," she said.
(Reuters: Reporting by Sophie Yu and Brenda Goh
Editing by Robert Birsel)